


Bullfight

by WinTTY



Series: Choice [5]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, camping trip, hey its no longer dark, its just fluff and finally getting over things, mostly anyways, read the previous stories if ya want but this is good standalone fluff right there, right there mhm riiight there, romance and all that good stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-05-10 04:41:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14730131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinTTY/pseuds/WinTTY
Summary: Max finally starts to make progress - significant progress.So Chloe decides to take them on a vacation, because why not?





	1. Somethin' nice

Max stares at the mirror.

Her head and mind don’t spiral. She doesn’t see shadows nor figures nor Jefferson nor anything else out of the ordinary in her reflection. There’s no Maxine. There’s no cause for alarm.

It’s a relief - Max fought so hard, fought for so long against her demons and she _won_. She won.

There’s a shadow that appears in the corner and her eyes _snap_ immediately towards it, but it’s nothing - its just the figure of Chloe appearing behind her.

She looks nice; her hair buzzed to one side, slightly grown out just down to her shoulders. She’s wearing some tattered leather jacket she found in a thrift store and some real grungy, stonewashed, ripped jeans. Its her usual look.

Glancing at the mirror, her lips curl into a grin and she walks over ever-so-slowly.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” Max replies and smiles into the mirror, seeing Chloe’s hands slowly wrap around her. She doesn’t stop her.

“You ready?” Chloe asks and kisses down her neck before resting her chin on her shoulder - eyes focused on the mirror. “You look like one gorgeous nerd, as usual.”

Max rolls her eyes. She’s just wearing some _okay-ish_ tee, some _okay-ish_ jeans, and an _okay-ish_ hoodie. She never really grew out of the style - though she _did_ give in to Chloe’s requests and started to wear her hair down more often.

“Hey!” she gasps suddenly as Chloe pulls her back with a giggle.

“You’re ready,” Chloe decides for her, reaching over to the hook beside the mirror to grab her keys. “I hope you’re also ready to come back at 9 in the AM.”

“Chloe-”

“-ah, ah, ah!” Chloe interrupts and presses a finger to Max’s lips. “Shush. We have a week off and I have plans.”

Max sighs and slumps her shoulders but she gives in. “Okaaaaaay.”

Chloe grins, grabs her hand and leads them out of their apartment.

* * *

 

They pile into Chloe’s truck and set off almost immediately.

There’s a silence and Max can’t help but briefly reminisce how hauntingly familiar it seems to that week, all those years ago, and the silence - the radio static - that filled the truck cabin then.

Granted - _yes_ \- it was a different truck and - _yes_ \- it was just a few hours after the storm that wiped out the once quiet town of Arcadia Bay.

Yet the resemblance was there for Max and even though it was only for a split-second, it was enough-

“Hey,” Chloe interrupts and reaches over to grab Max’s hand. She squeezes it and smiles as they stop at an intersection. “You good?”

Max gapes her mouth and then quickly nods. As fast as the memory came, it went. She was good at it now, good at forgetting all of that.

“Yeah. Just had a small moment there. Hey, can we turn on the radio?”

Chloe raises an eyebrow and looks at Max, then down to the radio, then ahead at the road as the lights turn green. She accelerates and nods. “Yeah, of course - y’don’t need to ask me that babe.”

Max hums and reaches over to turn on the radio.

Some sort of punk station immediately comes to life and chases away the silence. Of course it’s punk, it’s Chloe’s truck and all Chloe _ever_ listens to is punk.

Though Max had to admit - she grew quite fond of it. Not quite up there with her usual, more indie bands, but definitely something she enjoyed once in a while.

As her thoughts are drowned out and washed away, Max absently reaches over to grab Chloe’s hand again - their fingers intertwined almost automatically. They share a quick squeeze, a look and then they both glance away again; Chloe towards the road and Max to the side, staring at the scenery passing by.

They stay quiet the rest of the way to wherever Chloe is taking them.

* * *

 

It was a restaurant.

Of course it was. Only Chloe would do something cliche, right? Thankfully it didn’t look _too_ snobbish - perhaps they could get away with what they were wearing.

If that wasn’t enough, Chloe was almost _instantly_ out of the truck and by Max’s door - holding it open for her with a smirk. “C’mon,” she says, that grin of her’s already present.

Max groans but slips out with Chloe’s help and laughs as she is spun around a few times. She stops seconds later with a happy, genuine smile and keeps holding Chloe’s hand.

Then, seconds later, they’re off towards the restaurant in question.

“Why are we here?” she asks, though the answer is obvious.

“I needed to treat you to somethin’ nice,” Chloe replies and looks at her as they walk. “It’s been a while since we went out, and now that we have some time off… ta-dah?”

Max waits a few seconds and then laughs, leaning into her girlfriend’s side. “Mhm. Okay, goop.”

Chloe snickers and leads them forward, through the double doors and inside proper - their table already reserved. They sit opposite one another and the entire time Chloe can’t stop her damn smirking; holding on for so long that eventually she makes Max just laugh and roll her eyes.

“You’re pushing your luck, Price,” Max states and looks away - around the restaurant.

Confused for all but a moment, Chloe scoffs to herself and looks around herself. “I ain’t doin’ nothing,” she defends herself.

Max smiles and waits. They both wait - though not long; only minutes later they’re approached by a waiter, their orders already on the tip of their tongues.

Then they wait some more. They talk quietly, their hands connected over the table. Max would lie if she said she didn’t feel happy about… this, however simple it may have been.

When their orders arrive, they dig in and talk even more. It’s quiet and most of the talking is Chloe - though its sweet and romantic and Max can’t help but shake her head and laugh sometimes.

This is a side of Chloe that she loves in particular, though it was uncommon - rare, even - simply because of everything they’ve been through.

Max enjoyed every moment of it.

* * *

 

“We should head to a club,” Chloe suggests once they’re out of there - everything having been paid for. Her arm is wrapped around Max who in turn is nestled right up against her - comfortable, as usual.

“We should not,” Max counters and looks up to Chloe. “I have a better idea - also I don’t feel like… being around so many people. Not right now, not after that.”

Chloe furrows her eyebrows but doesn’t complain - today is Max’s day, though to be fair… everyday is Max’s day to Chloe. She does her best, so she deserves it.

“Alright. I’m all ears,” she replies as she leads them into the parking lot, straight towards her - _their_ \- truck.

Max smiles but it doesn’t last long - it soon turns to a grin, then a smirk as she slowly lets her hand drift up and up. Seconds later she quickly tiptoes up and steals a kiss, holding Chloe’s chin.

“Take me home and we’ll see,” she purrs almost.

Chloe fucking _melts_ \- her mouth agape - because it’s all she can do when Max is like this (and Max is like this a lot recently, she finds).

That being said - Chloe doesn’t think it over for more than a second. She ushers Max into the truck, gives her a quick kiss and immediately runs around to jump in herself.

Then they’re off once again. Max has to tell Chloe to slow down at one point and Chloe does because it’s Max asking her to - she’d be gunning it back otherwise if it wasn’t.

* * *

 

They’re home a while later.

First go the keys, back onto their hook beside the door, and then their jackets.

Max turns to face Chloe and Chloe just stands there.

Then they’re kissing only a second later - wildly at that - and Chloe has to almost restrain Max to stop them from toppling back and onto the floor. That’d be uncomfortable. Max fights through anyway and claws at her shirt, pulling it over Chloe who doesn’t resist - why would she?

They tumble backwards and forwards, finding themselves in less and less clothing by the time they reach the bedroom - then the bed.

Chloe somewhat grunts as she falls back and Max takes charge - Max _always_ takes charge, one way or another. Chloe can’t resist that, nor would she even if she could.

It takes a while.

Not _too_ long, though not _too_ short either. It’s a perfect balance of sorts - they both know themselves and each other, know when to stop or when to continue. Communication always helps too, and they’re great at that as well.

They have a great fucking time, that's for sure.

Soon enough they’re both left panting however, cuddled up and lying in bed. Max rests her face in the nook of Chloe’s neck and it’s a perfect fit. Chloe’s hand lightly drifts up and down her back, she places soft kisses on her head, in her hair.

They rest for some time.

“Love you,” Chloe whispers and squeezes one arm around her. “For like… ever and ever.”

Max sort of snorts at that, yet replies in kind and presses a kiss to her neck. “Love y’too,” she mumbles.

“I was thinkin’,” Chloe starts and stops. She furrows her eyebrows and then hums. “I was thinkin’ we could, uh… go on a trip.”

There’s a pause in Max’s breaths before she lifts her head and stares at her girlfriend. Her hair is messy and she quickly brushes some of it behind her ear to get a better look. “A trip?” she echoes.

“Yea. Me, you - open road for a bit. Then, uh… a park? I was thinking Yosemite.”

“You want to go camping in Yosemite?”

“Mhm. It’d be like old times, albeit not Oregon and not the park beside, uh-”

“I know,” Max stops her - she knows Chloe is uncomfortable with mentioning Arcadia, has and always will be probably, and it’s also _probably_ because of Max. She knows that.

“So… whaddya say?”

Max lays her head back down and stares down Chloe’s chest absently. Her finger drifts up right down the middle before she places her palm down and nods. “Sounds fun. Why not?”

It’s a step out of her comfort zone, so she takes the offer. It’s been a while since she left LA, since they _both_ left LA. They need this, a breath of literal fresh air.

Plus it could be fun _and_ Max could take photos to add to their photo wall, right there above the two of them right now; just over the headboard of their bed.

Chloe lights up almost - despite everything and Max’s progress, she didn’t have high hopes. “Oh! Sweet, we can… we can leave tomorrow,” she states, brushing through Max’s hair with her fingers. “Just need to buy a tent and some other stuff. Shouldn’t be too expensive.”

There’s a hum of acknowledgement from Max.

“It’ll be fun. I promise.”

Max knows it’ll be fun - after all, Chloe will be with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this started as a one shot but grew into a 3-parter instead - sorry not sorry and enjoy


	2. Yosemite

Preparations didn’t take long - not at all - they  _were_ only going to Yosemite for a day or two, maybe three. Not like a week or something, but that’d be nice.

Standing outside they apartment, Chloe and Max were both going over the contents of their truck’s bed. It wasn’t a lot.

“Clothes?” Max asks, her eyes scanning the bed slowly.

Chloe nods and pats one of the bags in turn, smirking. “Right here. Ain’t gonna need to skinny dip. I mean, not unless-”

“-gross, Chloe,” Max replies and glances up at her, eyes already rolling before she gives a shake of her head. Of course Chloe would have her mind in the gutter. “No skinny dipping.”

With a groan and huff and a puff, Chloe crosses her arms and looks away. “Fine,” she speaks with a fake, annoyed tone.

Max sees right through it, because  _of course_ she does.

“Tent?” she continues, ignoring Chloe’s attempt at attention. “Can’t go camping without a tent, Chloe-”

“-alright, alright - jeez woman!” Chloe grumbles and hoists herself up on the side again, looking over the bed. She squints, taps her chin and then nods - patting another bag. “Tent right here.”

“Camping supplies?” Max questions - her eyes focusing up on Chloe instead.

Leaning further in over the bed, Chloe pats the furthest bag away from her - but the closest one to Max. “Right here babe,” she answers as her eyes drift up, up towards Max’s face which is now only an inch or two away from hers.

How’d Max get so close?

Chloe doesn’t think on it too much as she leans in and gives her a kiss instead. Then another. Then another after that, followed by one, two, three-

“-ack, alright, alright!” Max finally gives up in giggles, swatting Chloe away. “Enough!” she exclaims a bit  _too_ loudly - attracting the attention of some people passing by. She blushes too - ugh.

Taking that as a victory, Chloe grins like and idiot and leans right back - jumping off the side. She double and triple checks everything to ensure that - _yes_ \- they do indeed have everything they need. Clothes, tent, supplies. Clothes, tent, supplies. Clothes, tent, supplies-

“Chloe?” Max speaks up in confusion - seeing Chloe just staring and patting down each of the bags in order - again and again and again.

Chloe stops, glances up and just like that her grin is back. “Yeah. Right here. Sorry, just making sure we do have everything. Alright. You ready?” she asks and does _one more final check_ before  _finally_ moving away.

“Yep!”

Grin still present, Chloe jumps into the truck first with Max following just afterward. She jingles her keys slightly and puts them in the ignition, leaving them there. With a sigh, she reaches for the radio - starting to flick through stations.

Max allows herself to lean back as she promptly pulls her seatbelt over herself. One bonus of having a new truck - the AUX ports! Oh. Also seatbelts - that’s important too.

“Ugh, there ain’t shit on the radio,” Chloe eventually complains. It’s been a few minutes and they haven’t even moved. “Right. Emergency playlist time.”

There’s a pause in Max’s movements as she’s brushing away her hair. “...emergency-what-now?” she echoes, confusion in her voice. “Chloe?”

“Ah, ah!” Chloe holds up a finger, shushing Max, before she reaches into her pocket. She grumbles and grunts and huffs as she has a difficult time pulling out her phone from her jeans - fucking  _skinny_   _jeans,_  man.

Though she succeeds and immediately connects her phone up to the AUX port, just below the radio. She taps away at her phone’s screen before leaning back.

Max waits.

Chloe waits too, but she’s a bit excited - she fucking loves using the AUX port, especially when there ain’t shit on the radio. It might not seem like much, but when your last truck was a junker from the 90s that could only play tapes… it’s a pretty-fuckin’-big-deal.

“...you made a roadtrip playlist?” Max asks and then looks at Chloe, a smile working up on her face. “Seriously?”

“Dude - we’ve been dreamin’ of a roadtrip since-”

Silence. They both stare at one another, though the music is still there.

“-since y’know,” Chloe repeats, clearing her throat. “Of course I’m gonna have a playlist for a road trip, c’mon - it’s like you don’t even know me.”

Max appreciates that Chloe tried to play it off. She does, but she knows exactly what she was going to mention anyway. Sometimes, she feels like it’s her fault that they can’t ever mention  _it._

It.

_Arcadia._

Goddamnit. This was supposed to be a trip where they’d relax, not fucking-

“Max,” Chloe raises her voice - she already sees her slipping, leaning back; wilting. She knows what she’s thinking about and she knows it’s because she nearly mentioned it. Ugh.

Max blinks. She nods after a second and manages a smile. “Yeah. Sorry. Just thinking.”

Again they stare, but it’s brief. They share their smiles and then Chloe looks away.

“Okay. Well. Let’s get this shit on the road!” Chloe exclaims suddenly over the music, cheering. She tries to bring back the good feelings, tries to ward off Arcadia, the ghosts of their past.

They fucking got over this, damnit.

* * *

 

Not even 30 minutes into their trip and they’re stuck in LA traffic, because fuck, it’s  _LA_ \- of  _course_ there’s traffic. Thankfully it’s slightly overcast so they’re not burning up  _yet,_ and thankfully the music is still playing.

“Fuckin’ Christ,” Chloe grumbles and then slaps her wheel once in annoyance. “I thought I accounted for the traffic, man. Ugh.”

“It’s LA,” Max speaks up absently, eyes stuck to her phone as she browses the internet. “I think you’d have to account for traffic even when there should be none.”

Chloe gives her a brief frown and then rolls her eyes. “Right.”

Tap, tap, tap - her fingers drum along the edge of her steering wheel in beat with the songs. Tap, tap, tap.

It’s only a few minutes later when the traffic  _finally_ begins to move.

Then it stops again.

Chloe groans and Max just giggles.

* * *

 

Eventually they’re out of LA and on the highway, cruising at a comfortable speed. Chloe is still focused on the road whilst Max is still - surprise - focused on her phone. After all, what else is she to do?

“Oh shit, Bakersfield already?” Chloe speaks up, catching Max’s attention. They both shift in their seats and glance at a passing sign. “Huh. That went by quick,” she adds.

“Are we heading through there?” Max asks and momentarily gives Chloe a glance.

“Around it mostly, it’s on the way.”

“Oh.”

“Place is okay though I guess. Adema and Korn come from there,” Chloe murmurs and again taps her fingers on the wheel, humming a song to herself. “Nothing else to it otherwise I think.”

Max scrunches up her nose and then nods. “Adema and Korn? Uh-huh…” she trails off, looking away. Who the  _hell_ are Adema and Korn?

“Bands, Max. Good bands.”

Of course Chloe answers - it’s like she read her mind or something. They’re pretty good at reading each other's minds though, so that isn’t really surprising.

* * *

 

“Fresno.”

Max glances up after hearing Chloe, seeing a sign pass by. Indeed, it reads ‘Fresno’ and just ahead in the distance she can see the city starting to peek over the hill. With a hum, she sits up and puts her phone away.

“Can we stop for a bit? I need to stretch,” she mumbles and gives Chloe a look.

“Yeah, just let me pass the city first,” Chloe replies, tapping her hand on the gear stick. “Don’t fancy sitting in traffic again, ugh.”

With another giggle, Max reaches over to put her hand over Chloe’s - giving it a squeeze. Chloe flips her hand over in turn, locking their fingers together and giving her a squeeze back. Then she pulls Max’s hand up to her lips and gives it a kiss.

Max is about to speak before Chloe then gives her a gentle pull over, leaning in to steal a kiss too before she gives her a push right away.

“Rude,” Max huffs and crosses her arms. “I wanted more.”

“Yeah, well I’m driving,” Chloe murmurs, focused on the road. “You can sex me up all you want when we’ve stopped, how about that?” she suggests, a smirk working up on her face.

“Sex you up, huh? We’ll see.”

* * *

 

Within an hour or so they’re stopped at a gas station just past Fresno. Whilst Chloe is busy with the pumps, Max is inside grabbing a snack or two - also something to drink. She promptly pays for everything and heads out, watching as Chloe was now leaning against the truck, still waiting.

“Hey. Whatcha get?” she asks when Max gets closer, her eyes now focused on the bag Max is carrying. “Anything good?”

“Drinks."

“... no snacks? Boo.”

Max just rolls her eyes and jumps inside the truck, legs thrown up on the dashboard in seconds as she got comfortable - waiting. She glances in the mirrors occasionally, seeing Chloe finish up and then run over inside to pay.

Back only a minute or so later, Chloe gets inside herself and then checks everything before she gives Max a look. Her eyes then drift down to the bag below and she notices the snacks inside and then she immediately gasps.

“You lied to me! You wound me so, Caulfield - you got snacks and you didn’t tell me.”

“Oh, these?” Max murmurs and lifts up one of the bags, giving it a look. “I bought these for myself. Sorry.”

“Yeah? Well I went on this trip for myself too, so I’m gonna have to excuse you and ask you to get out of my truck.”

Sharing a look, the two then smile and giggle briefly before Max pulls the bag between them. “Fine… I  _guess_ I can share.”

“You better,” Chloe adds and then promptly pulls the truck out of the gas station.

Back on the highway, they begin the final stretch to Yosemite.

* * *

 

Heading on through Mariposa, it’s only two, maybe three hours later when they finally arrive in Yosemite. Whilst Chloe deals with the reservations and such, Max busies herself with looking through some booklet they were given upon arrival - mostly reading up information, warnings about wildlife.

“Ugh,” Chloe groans as she finally gets back inside - throwing their documents into the glovebox. “Alright, got everything sorted. Dude at the desk tried hitting on me, so I told him to go fuck himself.”

Max looks at Chloe in surprise. “Chloe-”

Chloe laughs, interrupting Max. “Relax, I’m kidding - but I’m pretty sure he was teetering on the edge there. Whatevs.”

Giving her a gentle shove, Max looks out of the window and then around the truck. “Are we hiking or…?”

“Nah, we’re gonna drive up a bit to a nearby campground, then we’re gonna hike somewhere I guess,” Chloe says as she pulls the truck out of the parking spot and onto a dirt road leading further in. “Not too far though because I’m not haulin’ all that shit in the back for hours.”

Max nods in agreement - she’d rather not do that either.

Like planned, they leave the truck at a slightly populated campground further in the park. Chloe takes her share of bags and Max does too, and soon enough they’re set out on a hike - heading through the nearby woods first.

Max doesn’t waste this opportunity. She takes pictures of whatever she finds interesting, and occasionally pulls Chloe back to take selfies with her too - stuff for their photo wall. She burns through a pack of polaroids or so, which isn’t that much… probably.

And even then she took her backup digital camera if she *does* eventually run out of polaroids.

Whenever Max busies herself with lining up a shot, Chloe can’t help but stare at her - seeing her smile and explore things, carefree and unburdened. It’s refreshing, and even if it had been more common as time went on, Chloe couldn’t help but be… proud, somewhat?

Hm.

It was progress from what she was like a year, two ago.

* * *

 

They walked, and walked, and walked some more - eventually reaching a small clearing by a stream. There was a small waterfall too, not exactly breathtaking, but there was a certain tranquil atmosphere around it.

“Here,” Chloe announces - throwing her bag down. “Not too far from the main campground and this place is sweet. Also, my legs can’t take anymore walking.”

Max giggles as she walks a circle around the clearing, looking in all directions and snapping a shot of the waterfall. She turns and takes a sneaky shot of Chloe whilst she’s unpacking some things - a nice candid one.

“It’s good enough. Pretty,” she speaks up and then joins her girlfriend in the middle, dropping her own bag beside hers.

“Alright girlfriend, help me with the tent,” Chloe says and gives Max a look. “It’s, uh… been a while since I’ve set one up.”

“...me too,” Max admits.

The two share a look, then glance down at all the pieces of the tent. Chloe rubs the back of her head and Max crosses her arms slightly, both of them thinking how to begin.

Oh boy.

* * *

 

It was a struggle. At first, anyway, because once they managed to setup the skeleton it was pretty straightforward from there. Then once the tent was up, Max got herself busy with setting up their sleeping bags inside - and some other things - whilst Chloe went off to gather some wood.

Maybe 30 or so minutes later they’re both back by the tent, finally done with everything.

“Oh man,” Chloe begins quietly - groaning as she sits down on the grass. “What a workout. Oof.”

Max hums and stares into the fire, then around them. It’s getting dark - most of the day they spent getting to Yosemite, then the rest getting to the clearing and setting up their small camp. It was enjoyable though - from beginning to end.

“It’s nice though, right?” Max asks and leans into Chloe slightly, feeling an arm drop around her shoulder. “Peaceful. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been in such a quiet place.

Chloe is silent as she listens, and listens, and listens. Then she nods. “Yeah. Pretty sweet.”

It  _is_ silent, almost eerily so. There’s an occasional animal call in the forest, or a cricket, or the whooshing of wind through the woods. There’s also the crackle of the fire, the occasional rustling of leaves.

Night falls on them quickly as they sit and talk, mostly planning how to make the most out of their time here. They have a plan for tomorrow, the day after too.

Throughout it all, Max doesn’t think about Arcadia once, nor does Chloe. Neither of them notice too.

“Hey, you think if you sex me up then we’ll attract some bears?” Chloe eventually asks, giving Max a smirk.

Max digs her hand into Chloe’s side and causes her to squirm before she shoves her back to the tent. “Away with you. We’re heading to sleep,” she states and follows her inside.

Chloe does a mock salute and listens, crawling to her sleeping bag.

They both quickly cuddle up as best as they can and find themselves asleep almost immediately - the day seemed to have taken it out of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've struck a significant writers block and haven't been motivated enough to write hence the long absence, sorry
> 
> didn't check anything over, i'll fix any glaring errors as i find them i guess


End file.
